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Conducting an Organized Job Search

Being organized in your job search is critical to success. You need to manage and track your activity in order to maximize your connections and your results.

Target List

The machine gun approach to a job search where you apply for anything and everything is not likely to lead to success.

Critical first step if identifying and prioritizing a target list. Identify the companies you are most interested in working for and prioritize them based on their history of posting positions which interest you and the availability of alumni connections or other connections within the company. Prioritize you list by where you are most likely to have success.

Networking

Networking is critical to success so start networking with alums and other connections in your target companies.

Use Linked In and your alumni database to identify contacts within your target companies.

Schedule information interviews with contacts in your target companies so you can learn more about the culture, the hiring process and the skills critical for success.

Track Your Activity

Maintain a spreadsheet of your target list with a tab for each target company. Keep track by company of all networking connections and meetings and note what you’ve learned about the organization. Add to the tab any jobs you apply for at that company and when. Keeps all your activity in one place.

Should be leveraging networking connections to get your resume into the hands of the hiring managers instead of hoping they find you in the huge pile of online applications. Having your connections in one place makes it easy to identify the contact to send your resume.

Initially you may think it is easy to remember your connections but as your volume increases it becomes critical to have a tracking system in place to support your efforts.

Say Thank You

One of the best ways to differentiate yourself from a crowded field of candidates is to send a thank you note. Be sure to send a handwritten, customized thank you note within 24 hours of the interview. Send a unique note to everyone you met at the interview.